In the modern society, photography trends move from image generation by conventional film-type photography apparatus and method using an SLR (Single-Lens-Reflex) camera to digital image generation using an optical sensor such as CCD (Charged Coupled Device) or CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor).
With expansion of enjoyment of culture and the scope of activity of modern people, photography using the digital optical device is increasingly used, and various supplementary photography devices or digital image processors are developed accordingly.
Basically, the film-type or digital image apparatus produces an optical information that is inputted through an optical device, such as a lens, a diaphragm or a shutter, on a film, or converts the optical information into an electric energy by the optical device thereby to generate an image. Accordingly, the generated image has limitations in field of view depending on the angle of the lens toward a subject.
Various lens groups are developed according to purposes of use, and thus the lens has a wide range of applications. However, the lens still has the limitations in field of view due to its physical characteristics.
Generally, a panorama image was created for the purpose of overcoming the above-mentioned physical limitations to satisfy the various growing desires of users utilizing digital images. The panorama image means an image with an extended field of view of a subject seen in a camera lens through a camera technique, change of the focus of the camera lens or digital image processing.
That is, a plurality of images may be combined horizontally, vertically and in a combination of horizontal and vertical to generate a single image with a wide and large field of view, which is referred to as a panorama image.
Conventional methods for generating the panorama image includes generating a plurality of images using a plurality of cameras located at various angles, or adjusting physically the angle of a camera lens toward a subject in an imaging apparatus to generate angle-adjusted images, and then combining the generated images into a panorama image.
The above-mentioned apparatus or method requires an additional equipment, is much influenced by an objective factor such as a manipulation method of users, and goes against the recent trends of a terminal toward mobility and miniaturization.
In addition, a method for combining a plurality of images by digital image processing was suggested. However, this method should experience a complex and complicated process through a specific program stored in PC (Personal Computer). Further, a step for matching a plurality of the images has an intrinsic problem such as complexity or inaccuracy, and thus has a difficult in generating a panorama image easily and simply.
That is, there are still the demands for a method for combining images easily and simply in a portable imaging apparatus to generate an accurate panorama image.